Michelle Obama has opened up about how she used to smack her daughters – until she took time to reflect on her parenting.
The former First Lady, 61, stopped using physical discipline when she “felt embarrassed” about her actions, she said in a podcast. Reflecting on motherhood, Michelle, who shares daughters Malia, 26, and Sasha, 23, with Barack Obama, said: “I felt silly. It took a couple of spankings for me to be like, yeah, you know what? I don’t want to do this anymore.”
Striking a child is illegal in Scotland and Wales, and campaign groups have argued it should also be outlawed in England and Northern Ireland. Currently, the spanking of children is legal in all 50 states in the US.
But Michelle, herself born in Chicago, Illinois, decided against her approach after just a small number of incidences. The mother of two continued: “It took a couple of spankings for me to be like, ‘yeah, you know what? I don’t want to do this anymore.'”
She added: “I felt like, you know, this is a little kid. And the fact that I can’t think of any better way to get my point across than to smack somebody on the butt – I felt embarrassed.”
But speaking on podcast Michelle Obama: The Light Podcast, with her brother, Craig Robinson, and guests Damon and Marlon Wayans, the law graduate insisted her remarks weren’t meant to judge or shame other parents.
Known for her advocacy work and candid reflections on motherhood, Michelle also addressed “new-school parenting” in the podcast. She said: “I want to be a proponent for reinstating some of the stuff that we had… When kids say, ‘I hate my mom,’ it’s like, you better say that in your head, in your room.’ You don’t say that out loud… Parents are too afraid to set those kinds of boundaries. I think that’s also part of the challenge that we’re facing in this generation.”
Michelle’s comments come hours after a new study showed 90% of social workers, 75% of teachers and 51% of the police think that the law in England should be changed to end the use of physical punishment against children. It would follow the changes made in Scotland and, most recently, Wales, which made smacking illegal on March 21, 2022.
And the podcast has sparked reaction – both positive and negative – from listeners here in the UK and overseas. Many praised Michelle, who married Barack in 1992, for her honesty. One fan, also a mum, posted on social media: “I understand that feeling of frustration which can lead to spanking but it is good to reflect.”
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